An elite throwers club had always been a dream of Jeff Gorski, so when former UNC All American javelin throwers Sean Murray and Lynda Lipson (now Blutreich) approached him in the fall of 1992 and asked him coaching them, the project got off the ground. Things progressed quickly, as Lynda made her 1st of many US International teams after placing 3rd at the 1993 USATF Championships. Soon throwers from across the US were contacting Jeff for advice and support and by the 1996 Olympic Trials Jeff was working with high school, college and elite post-college throwers (see Members/Friends page). By 1999, when he was selected by USATF to chair Men's Javelin Development (later to become the USATF High Performance program), Jeff's athletes had produced 4 USATF and 2 high school national championships, 6 American records and a 3X World Top 10 ranking. The 2000 Olympic year brought new activities, as trips to Finland for the Keihaskarnivaalit/Javelin Carnival inspired Jeff to start the American JavFest, a US version of the great Finnish event, which brought together greats from the past, present and future of US javelin throwing as well as top visiting athletes and coaches. It also marked the start of the Klub Keihas Throwing Schools: a series of clinics and training camps across the US for athletes and coaches to learn the correct basics of technique, training and coaching methods.
Sadly, an accident rendered Jeff's wife, Elaine, a quadriplegic in 2003 and resulted in a dramatic change of direction for Klub Keihas. Inspired by Elaine's suggestion to follow the "Field of Dreams" model, Jeff built specialized training facilities and equipment, literally in their backyard, to allow for proper training of athletes while still maintaining the care Elaine needs. It has evolved to the point that, in 2005, the Klub Keihas Field of Dreams Training camp began and is held in Chapel Hill each July.
The goal of Klub Keihas is not just the development of top athletes but of quality people. The dedication and focus needed to become a top athlete teaches skills and abilities that develop future leaders and role models. We are advocates of the throwing events, especially the javelin, and promote those events with passion and determination.
Klub Keihas is a USATF Elite Development club and is recognized by the IRS and a 501c-3 public charity, so donations are fully deductible for US tax filing.